The Sacred Circle

Mandala song

When entering the realm of inner vision,

We must create a threefold sacred circle,

Composed of purity, of strength and knowledge

Surrounding us like a protective wall.

The purity of heart creates the lotus-circle;

The admantine scepters form the second ring:

The power-circle of determined will and higher aims;

The third one is the ring of wisdom-flames.

The threefold magic circle thus unfolded,

Grows with the depth of heart´s vibration,

Grows with the strength of inner penetration,

Grows with the wisdom that knows life and death.

But only when this world becomes a magic circle,

In which each point can be a living center:

Then we surmount the cause of all illusion,

The riddles of rebirth, of death and dissolution.

Then nothing remains rigid, self-contained;

No point coagulates into a finite "I",

Each being in the others is enshrined,

And in the smallest lives infinity.

Then we shall see released to higher norm

This world as essence of the highest mind,

Which, formless though, creates and moves all form,

Inspires and transmutes it, ever unconfined.

Lama Anagarika Govinda

The Buddhist stupa

Mandalas in Architecture

In architecture the Buddhist stupa is the oldest and most prevalent form to reflect the structure and flow of the mandala. Stupas are a dome shaped structure designed to hold sacred relics.

You can also see the structural representation of a mandala in the construction of most cathedrals and churches of 12th century. These are structures build around a center point and include beautiful stained glass rose windows. These windows reflect a great spiritual presence. 

Sand Mandala

Art of Sand Mandala

Mandala means literally “that which extracts the essence.” There are many different types of mandalas used by Tibetan Buddhists. They can be created in either two or three dimensions. On the tour the monks create two-dimensional sand mandalas. These are the most creative and labor-intensive, requiring incredible amounts of concentration.

Each sand mandala is a cosmic diagram that represents the dwelling place or celestial mansion of a deity. The Menla mandala, for example, represents the dwelling of the Medicine Buddha, who embodies the perfection of the physical and mental health of all beings. There are multi‑layered symbolic images throughout the ‘palace,’ where iconography, placement, and color all have significance. Additionally, to the learned Tibetan Buddhist monk, the mandala represents his vision of the entire universe.

According to Tibetan Buddhist history, the purpose, meaning and the techniques involved in the spiritual art of the sand mandala creation were taught by Buddha Sakyamuni in the 6th century B. C. in India.  Mandalas are created for rituals of initiation and for meditations; it is also created to purify the environment and its inhabitants to promote harmony in the world.

In the past, sand mandalas were made with the powdered results of the grinding of precious stones‑ turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, powdered gold and silver, and many other cherished and priceless materials. Today white stones are ground and dyed with opaque water colors to produce the bright tones found in the sand paintings.

Depending upon the mandala, it can take between 3 days to 2 weeks to complete. Most of the ones created on the tour are completed in 3 to 5 days. Upon completion of the mandala there is a very special ritual to bless the mandala and it is then ritually dissolved. As a lesson in impermanence the blessed sand is swept up into a pile then small portions are offered to those present. The rest of the sand is taken to a body of water where, after a short ceremony, it is poured into the water to bless and purify the surrounding environment and all sentient beings living there.